Wood and wood composite products are well known. Wood composites are in widespread use in building industry, furniture and other industries. Some examples of specific wood composite products are particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and oriented strandboard (OSB).
It is known in the prior art to improve the dimensional moisture stability and other properties of the wood product by applying a suitable wax in emulsion or molten form to the wood particles or fibers at some stage in the fabrication process.
It has been found that emulsions of a blend of waxes are superior to single waxes in achieving satisfactory water repellency and other qualities. For example, a blend of paraffin wax with montan wax has been used.
Montan wax is a hard, fossil-plant wax extracted from certain types of lignite or brown coal. However, there is a major problem with montan wax. It is commercially available in only a few locations, including Amsdorf, Germany (the majority of montan wax coming from there), and in the Ione Basin near Ione in Amador County, Calif. Its rarity casts a shadow of doubt on its continued availability and makes it very expensive.